OHIO STATE Tressel ponders Clarett's feelings

Without Maurice Clarett, the Buckeyes' running game changed dramatically.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Through the program's 114 years, Ohio State football has become another way of saying "just run the ball."
Until this season, that is.
Maurice Clarett, a freshman sensation at tailback a year ago, was suspended in August for accepting improper benefits and then lying to investigators. Without Clarett, a Youngstown native, the Buckeyes were toothless when running the ball.
"I think I know him well enough to know that he would have liked to have helped," coach Jim Tressel said of Clarett, a Warren Harding High graduate. "I haven't had a chance to talk with him that much, to sit and really reflect. But I know he would have liked to have been out there. You can feel that in his voice."
Tressel insists that Clarett will someday play for Ohio State again, a contention that seems particularly hollow as Clarett and his lawyers press their lawsuit against the NFL to allow the sophomore to participate in the league's draft next year.
Kansas State next
Now Clarett's former teammates are preparing to play against Kansas State, a rock-hard defensive unit that all but erased No. 1 Oklahoma's attack in a shocking 35-7 upset in the Big 12 title game. The Wildcats (11-3) and Buckeyes (10-2) meet Jan. 2 in the Fiesta Bowl.
That impending game has caused Ohio State's players and coaches to look even closer at what went wrong with their running attack. There is a stadium full of statistics to provide evidence that the Buckeyes have not run the ball like the vaunted Ohio State teams of the past.
UOhio State finished eighth (one spot behind lowly Indiana) in the Big Ten in rushing, averaging 124.2 yards per game. That's almost 50 yards a game behind the average of last year's national championship team.
UThe Buckeyes' leading rusher, Lydell Ross, totaled 744 yards. Only twice since Archie Griffin came to campus in 1972 has Ohio State's top ground-gainer totaled fewer yards. (Coincidentally the head coach was fired after both of those seasons, in 1978 and 1987.)
UIt wasn't as if Tressel and his offensive coaches gave up on the running game. Ohio State had 454 rushing attempts -- 71 more than opponents.
UEveryone talks about the importance of striking a balance in play-calling, but the running game didn't justify being on equal footing with the passing game. The Buckeyes ran the ball 454 times and threw 342 passes, yet rushing provided almost exactly 1,000 fewer yards (1,491-2,490).
Best-team makeup
"The best offenses in the country are teams that can run the ball, throw the ball, play-action and keep you on your heels," quarterback Craig Krenzel said.
The team MVP was a wide receiver, Michael Jenkins. Despite the success the team had throwing the ball, he can't see the coaches dedicating themselves entirely to throwing the ball and forgetting the run.
"You always want to have balance," he said. "We're still going to try and run the ball and throw the ball and make plays down the field when needed. We're always going to go into the game striving to have balance on the offensive side of the ball."
In their most recent game, a 35-21 loss at Michigan on Nov. 22, the Buckeyes mustered just 54 rushing yards on 25 attempts.